Resilient wheel.



S. S. WELLS.

RESILIENT WHEEL. PucATloN. FILED APR .11915. 19162005. Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

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S. S. WELLS. RESILIENT WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED APR. I4. 191s.

Patend Nov. 30, 1915.

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Attest: dw@ hz, v Inventor: QLCLRW by @ZU/f4 New I JW Att/ COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH co., wAsMlNToN. D, c.

sHELDoN s. Wenns,` or stream-HILLS, NEW JERSEY.

RESILIENT WHEEL.

Specicaton of Letters Patent. Patented NGV, 30, 1.915.

Application filed April 14, 1915. Serial No. 21,1789.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

kcitizen of the United States, residing at Short Hills, in the countyk of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Resilient Wheels, of which the following is a vspecification. n

This invention relatesl to resilient wheels for automobiles and the like, and its novelty consists in the construction and adaptation Vof the parts.

The object of the invention is to produce a wheel which, when the partsare assembled, shall be 'sutli'ciently Vresilient for traction purposes, and at the same time shall be composed of parts which are readily made and assembled and do not require anyelaborate machine work in their production.

In the drawings, F igurel is a radial sec tion through the felly, outer tire and intermediate parts of a wheel embodying myv invention, the section being' taken on the plane of thelline 1-1 in Fig. 2; Fig. 2..is a side elevation of a portion of the device, some of the parts being shown in section, and parts being broken away to show concealed parts;

Fig. 3 is al perspective of a portion of the rim frame; andV Fig. 4 is a perspective of one of the socket blocks and the compound lever.

In the drawings, 10 is the felly of the wheel. Closely embracing the same is a circular frame work generally indicated at 11 and comprising three members, namely, a cylindrical member 12, which isin close con.- tact with the felly, and two side members 13 and 14. The cylindrical'member 12 is provided with apertures 15 at suitable intervals forthe reception of rubber blocks 16 which are provided on their faces with a metal or other sheathing indicated at 17. One of the side members 13 in the form of device illustrated in the drawing is provided with a series of hand holes 18 closed by plates 19 to aord access to the interior of the frame for the purpose of inserting the rubber blocks referred to. Each of the Vsidemembers 13 and 14 are provided with bearingvapertures indicated at 20. An outer iexible rim is made up of a series of socket `blocks 21 each provided with projecting trunnions 22 adapted to engage link blocks 23 through projections 24 provided for that purpose. A rubber tire 25 of usual form is placed outside of this rim. Eachsocket block is provided with standards 26 in which is pivoted a lever 27 provided with forks indicated at 28, one of each of the forks being pivoted in turn to the side members 13 and 14. r"Ihis lever 27 carries a projection 29 at the upper end of which is mounted aroller 30 adapted to contact with the lower sheathed surface of one of the rubber blocks. Also pivoted to the standard 26 is a link 32 having two forks 33 which are pivoted to the side plates 13 and 14 of theframe 11. rlhe lever27 and link 32 form in effect a means forl keeping the .direction of movement of the roller30 substantially radial with respect to the center of the wheel.

In using the device asthe severalblocks 21 in the rotation of the wheel come in suc-k cession immediately above the traction surface, they are pushed radially inward and such motion being transmitted through 'the standard 26 and lever 27 Vcauses thel roller 30 to act against the rubber block 16 to com-V press it, affording thus a yielding resistance operative relation with its correspondingv rubber block, and taken as a whole under any usual speed of rotation, the successive action of these coperating elastic members isequivalent to that of a pneumatic tire.

I claim:

1. A resilient wheel comprising a felly, a rim carried thereby, a seriesv of elastic blocks carried by the rim, a flexible outer rim made up of separate members, and a series of levers intermediate each elastic block and one of the outer rim members whereby` the strain of traction is transmitted from the outerrim to such elastic blocks.

I 2. A series of compressible elastic members arranged circumferentially, a series of inwardly movable fmembers of equal number ralso arranged circumferentially, and a series of levers pivoted one on each movable member and each adapted to be pressed against that elastic member in radial line bers arranged circumferentially, a seriesef inwardly movable members ofA equal number also arranged circumterentially, and aV se# ries ot levers pivotedA one oneach movablelever and its cooperating elastic member.

4. A series ot lcompressible elastic members arranged circumterentially, and each secured fixedly in place, a series of inwardly movable blocks united together by alternate links to torm a circular flexible rim, and a series of leverspii-'oted one onpeach block and adapted to slid-ably Contact` vvith one of thenxed compressible elastic members. c

A series of ccmpressiblerelastic. members arranged circumferentiallv,` and each secured fixedly in place, a series of inwardly movable blocks united together by alternate links to form a circular flexible rim, and a series of levers pivoted one on each block and adapted to slidably contact With one of the fixed compressible elastic members, in combination With i roller between each lever and its Coperating elastic member.

V6. A resilient' Wheel comprisinga series ot elastic blocks secured in position around a telly, an outer flexible rinrmade up of blocks and links, a series of levers pivoted one to each rim block and each adapted to slidably contact with an elastic blcck and a link connecting each rim block to a trame secured to the telly.

arranged around the telly, elastic blocksr carried thereby, an outer circumferential flexible rim consisting of non-elastic Ablocks and intermediate flexible connections, a lever and a link each pivoted to the frame and one of the elastic blocks and arranged at an angle to the Wheel radii, and a member carried by each lever adapted slidably to contact With an elastic block, the pivots. on the frame being arranged along one radius and the pivots on the block along another radius.

9. A resilient WheelV comprising a frame arranged around the telly, elastic blocks carried thereby, an outer circumferential flexible rim consisting of non-elastic blocks and intermediate flexibleconnections, a lever and a link each pivoted to the frame and one of the elastic blocks and arranged atf` anl ang-le to the Wheel radii, and a membercarried by each lever adapted slidably to contact With an elastic block through an intermediate roller.

10. A resilient Wheel comprising a frame arranged around the telly, elastic blocks ,carried thereby, an outer circumferential flexible rim consisting of non-elastic blocks and intermediate flexible connections, a lever and a link each pivoted to the frame and one of the elastic blocks and arranged at an angle to the Wheel radii, and a member carried by each lever adapted slidably to contact With an elastic block through an intermediate roller, the pivots on the trame being arranged along one radius and the pivots on they block along another radius.

11. A resilient Wheel comprising a frame arranged around the telly,elastic blocks carried thereby, an outer circumferential flexi.

in number and corresponding in radial positionv around the Wheel,4 and a series of levers of the same number pivoted one to each non-elastic block and adapted to engage the elastic block next in position in the series, and a pivotal connection `between each lever and the frame on the telly.

13. A resilient Wheel comprisingl a frame arranged around the telly, elastic blocks carried thereby, an outer circumferential flexible rim consisting of non-elastic blocks and intermediate flexible connections, the elastic and non-elastic blocks being identical in number and corresponding. in radial position around the Wheel, anda series of levers ofthe same number pivoted one to each non-elastic block and adapted to engage the elastic block next in position in the series, a series of linksone for each lever also lpivoted. to the non-elastic blocks and to the frame to limit the extent andv direction of motion of the non-elastic block.

14. A resilient Wheel comprising aframe arrangedv around the telly, elastic blocks carried thereby, an outer circumferential flexible rim consisting of non-elastic blocks and intermediate flexible cennections, the elastic and non-elastic blocks being identical in number and corresponding in radial positionv around the Wheel, and a series of levers of the'same number pivoted one to each nonris elastic block and to the frame and having a projection adapted to engage the elastic block next in succession in the series.

15. A resilient Wheel comprising a frame arranged around the felly, elastic blocks carried thereby, an outer circumferential flexible rim consisting of non-elastic blocks and intermediate flexible connections, the elastic and non-elastic blocks being identical in number and corresponding in radial p0- sition around the Wheel, and a series of levers of the same number pivoted one to each non-elastic block and to the frame and having a projection adapted to engage the elastic block next in succession in the series. and a series of links one for each lever and also pivoted to the same parts.

16. A resilient Wheel comprising a frame arranged around the felly, elastic blocks carried thereby, an outer circumferential flexible rim consisting of non-elastic blocks and intermediate flexible connections, the elastic and non-elastic blocks being identical 4in number and corresponding in radial position around the Wheel, and a series of levers of the same number pivoted one to each non-elastic block and to the frame and having a. projection adapted to engage the elastic block next in succession in the series, and a series of links one for each lever and also pivoted to the same parts and arranged substantially parallel to the levers.

In testimony whereof l aiiix my signature.

SHELDON S. WELLS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Gommssioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

